The Buccaneer Battle is a recent addition to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL. TODD ROSENBERG, SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA

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In this undated photo provided by Holiday World &amp; Splashin' Safari, the Pilgrims Plunge ride is seen at Holiday World &amp; Splashin' Safari in Santa claus, Ind. (AP Photo/Holiday World &amp; Splashin' Safari) **NO SALES**

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gol.p11 2-10-00mb.jpg-4 photo by Matt A. Brown/For the RegisterThe new roller coaster called Goliath opens Friday but a few lucky people got a shot a the new ride Thursday afternoon in the rain at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The one time worlds biggest coaster Colossus is now just another coaster in the park. Superman is still the tallest on the grouds.

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lego.p21/6-3/20/99-MG...A boatload of visitors pass the New York skyline, the Statue of Liberty as well as the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco skyline in the background of Miniland in Legoland in Carlsbad which opened to the public for the first time Saturday . Photo by Michael Goulding

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Park guests join cast members and characters in a conga line at Disneyland for "Celebrate! A Street Party." FILE PHOTO: JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Universal Studios Los Angeles is opening a new attraction based on the new movie, Terminator 3, starring Christian Bale as robot battling John Connor. BLOOMBERG NEWS

A miniature White House is part of the Washington, D.C., section of "Miniland" at Legoland California in Carlsbad. FILE PHOTO:, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Disneyland kicked off "Celebrate! A Street Party," recently. The parade gets visitors up off the curb and into the action. FILE PHOTO: JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Actress Moon Bloodgood poses during filming for "Terminator Salvation - The Ride." The attraction was set to open in May at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. CRAIG T. MATHEW, SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN

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Guests ride on the new Diamondback roller coaster during a VIP preview April 17 at Kings Island Amusement Park in Mason, Ohio. AL BEHRMAN, AP

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Riders reach a high point on the "Incredible Hulk Coaster" at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Fla. RICK FOWLER, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ESCAPE

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Visitors ride a tram at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City. The tram ride is the park's oldest attraction, opening in 1964 as the first ticketed public access to the studio lot. FILE PHOTO: EVAN YEE, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

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The Skull Island attraction, from the King Kong movie is part of the tram tour along with old favorites like Jaws and the back lots at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City. FILE PHOTO: EVAN YEE, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

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Odin, a white Bengal tiger, dives for a piece of meat during a performance at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. FILE PHOTO:, AP

Riders try out Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The coaster allows riders to "fly" laying down on the coaster as it goes though high speed turns and flips. FILE PHOTO:, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

A roller coaster where riders can pick a personal soundtrack, a pirate ride with water gunfights, the tallest water ride in the world, and a walkway that sparkles at night with a million lights are some of the most exciting new attractions at amusement parks this year.

Other theme park news includes a ride based on the new "Terminator" movie at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia; the new Diamondback coaster at Kings Island in Ohio, with speeds up to 80 mph on a mile-long track; and the reopening of the failed Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as a more family-oriented attraction called Freestyle Music Park.

A unique lighted walkway, Starlight Experience, debuts at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Ind., is home to the massive water ride Pilgrims Plunge, where a boat drops 131 feet at a 45-degree angle, creating a wall of water 45 feet high.

The coaster with customized music, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal in Orlando, exemplifies a continuing theme park trend of "interactive experiences that can change based on guests' participation," according to David Mandt, spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

"These started with the shooting gallery type of experience where guests could ride through an attraction, aim at a target and score points," he said.

Other examples: A new Six Flags attraction, Buccaneer Battle, lets you have a dynamic water battle that's like being in a video game come to life. Eight people on each boat are armed with Super Soaker cannons. You hit other riders and targets, some of which blast water back or squirt from the ground. Meanwhile, park visitors randomly passing by shoot at the boats using land-based guns, and riders can shoot back.

Riders do get wet, though, so the park has a new "people dryer, which blasts hot air for three minutes for $5 and fits up to five people.

At Freestyle park in Myrtle Beach, "The Time Machine" coaster has multiple soundtracks so you can hear a different song each time you ride.

Big new rides are what teenagers and other coaster fans look forward to, but some parks are also adding play areas for younger kids. "We continue to see new products added designed to appeal to all ages," Mandt said.

Freestyle is opening 11 attractions in a new themed area called Kids in America, aimed at younger guests. Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Va., is adding a new Sesame Street Forest of Fun with junior rides.

Here is a list of these and some of the other new attractions around the country this year, with details provided by the theme park association and the parks:

CALIFORNIA

Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia: New Terminator Salvation: The Ride wooden coaster with high-tech special effects, five hills and six high-speed banked turns, themed on new "Terminator Salvation" movie.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo: Odin's Temple of the Tiger, tiger exhibit and show.

Disneyland, Anaheim: New fireworks show, "Magical," with flying Dumbo puppet; new characters in "Fantasmic!" show on Rivers of America, along with HD projection and 40-foot-tall dragon; new floats and lighting for Electrical Parade; new street show, "Celebrate! A Street Party," where guests can interact with characters.

Universal Studios Hollywood: New live show based on classic horror movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon"; Simpsons Summer Celebration, and high-definition, flat-screen monitors on all Studio Tour trams.

Legoland, Carlsbad: New "Bob the Builder in 4-D: Bob the Builder and the Roller Coaster" 4-D film.

MIDWEST

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio: Starlight Experience, themed lighted walkway with over a million LED lights, music, displays with colored lights themed to the changing seasons.

Six Flags: Re-themed coasters in two parks, Medusa at Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., and Superman in Agawam, Mass., now called Bizarro after the DC Comics villain, with custom-built audio in each rider head rest, fog banks and fire bursts.

Freestyle Music Park, Myrtle Beach, S.C.: Revamped version of Hard Rock Park, with more family attractions.

Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.: New zip-line ride and new shows: "Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke," part of Dollywood's celebration of the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and "Imagine," an aerial-trapeze show headlining Dollywood's annual Festival of Nations.

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